Ultra-rare 25p coin set to fetch hundreds at auction
· BBC NewsA rare 25p coin could fetch up to 2,800 times its face value when it goes under the hammer in Wiltshire.
The collector’s item – handed out in change to a local man – is the same shape as an ordinary 20p piece.
There are thought to be no more than 50 in circulation, with even fewer made from nickel brass like the one being sold by RWB Auctions in Royal Wootton Bassett.
Experts there hope to sell the coin for between £500 and £700.
The coin is thought to have been made by Royal Mint craftsmen before the 20p denomination was released into circulation in 1982.
At the time authorities had not decided whether the coin would be worth 20p or 25p.
Known as ‘trial pieces’ or a ‘pattern coins’, such rarities are typically sought by serious collectors.
YouTuber Christopher Collects, who works for RWB Auctions, called the piece “fascinating”.
He said: “20p coins are a fixture in our change now, but the Royal Mint seems to have experimented with various ideas before they settled on the seven-sided coin we all recognise.
“Trial pieces would have been used to demonstrate the concept of a new coin to officials and may have been sent out to businesses that handle lots of cash to try out.
'Easily mistaken'
“This trial coin could easily be mistaken for a 20p, but we are certain it will sell for a lot more than that.”
The 25p coin is part of a specialist sale of historic and modern currency organised by RWB Auctions.
The auction house, which opened in the town’s High Street in January, previously sold a scarce Lord Kitchener £2 for £1,000 and an unusual Olympics 50p for £1,500.
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